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Author Topic: WoW Open Beta  (Read 18296 times)
Merusk
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on: October 07, 2004, 07:47:31 PM

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/

Just updated a little while ago, open beta sign-ups will start 'soon.'  

Looks like those "Rumors" about a November 15th date turned out to be true after all.  I expect much gnashing of teeth, as per usual, from the fanbase about how the game is 'incomplete' and 'not yet ready.'  The same as every other MMO release.

The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
stray
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Reply #1 on: October 07, 2004, 07:53:04 PM

Quote from: Merusk
I expect much gnashing of teeth, as per usual, from the fanbase about how the game is 'incomplete' and 'not yet ready.'  The same as every other MMO release.


And yet another harrowing disappointment because I chose not to listen to them....Or maybe I can get my hands on the Beta and prevent that.
SirBruce
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Reply #2 on: October 07, 2004, 07:55:00 PM

Just stupid.  At the very least they could wait until December 15th.

Bruce
Romp
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Reply #3 on: October 07, 2004, 08:10:21 PM

I have a guild of about 50 mostly australia/nz asia pacific.  Still no word on which frickin server we will be 'allowed' to play on.  And doesnt look like we will be able to try the game in beta either.
Kageru
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Reply #4 on: October 07, 2004, 10:21:48 PM

Romp, while the information is awfully fuzzy, and not entirely internally consistent, this is the best I've seen so far.

http://www.aussiegamers.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=704

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Alkiera
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Reply #5 on: October 07, 2004, 10:28:49 PM

Quote from: Guy from that message board link
Most importanly, and thankfully, my original prediction on a release date for WoW was wrong...way wrong. (no we are not allowed to release the date to the public but I am allowed to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel.)


Bold emphasis is mine.
Later someone states that his original prediction was May 2005.  Now, guessing this person is a WoW fanboi, meaning, he believes the game releasing as soon as possible(if not sooner) is a good thing...  I'd guess they are trying to hit Nov 15.   Crazy.

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Kageru
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Reply #6 on: October 07, 2004, 10:38:33 PM

The web site linked is about Australian access to the game. So none of it actually refers to, influences or reflects the American release date. The question is how long it takes Blizzard to spare a couple of minutes to make the only possible decision regarding Australian access in relation to whatever date they pick for US launch.

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Romp
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Reply #7 on: October 07, 2004, 10:52:03 PM

ok thats good news regarding Australians.

But I can't see the point of giving us a separate beta if we are going to be on the US West server anyway?  Just let us play in the NA Open Beta and be allowed to play on US West servers at release and I'll be happy.  If we can't play at release then we probably won't play as we are a pvp guild and in a level game if you start months late you are going to find it very hard to get anywhere.
MrHat
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Reply #8 on: October 07, 2004, 11:28:48 PM

All I know is this isn't the Blizz of old.
ahoythematey
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Reply #9 on: October 07, 2004, 11:45:36 PM

Very true.  However, I guess they figure they can get some "leeway" since it is an MMO they are releasing this time around, and at least one tester I've talked to, who I know personally and played much AC with, says he'd pay for the game in the state it currently is in.  Not saying much, I guess, since both of us are Blizzard whores, but there you go.

I do doubt that it's launch will be really problematic beyond the initial krush of 300,000 players trying to register all in the same day and play.
Ardent
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Reply #10 on: October 07, 2004, 11:47:35 PM

WoW is not complete and it is not perfect. But it is very polished.

(I was in the middle of making a list of games that were far more unstable and unfinished than WoW when they were released, but it was almost all of them, so never mind.)

They need to release this game, if nothing else so my friends who work at Blizzard can, you know, sleep and see their families and stuff.

Um, never mind.
Register
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Reply #11 on: October 08, 2004, 02:36:26 AM

Quote from: Romp
I have a guild of about 50 mostly australia/nz asia pacific.  Still no word on which frickin server we will be 'allowed' to play on.  And doesnt look like we will be able to try the game in beta either.


Heres the latest official FAQ on WOW servers :
Localized Server FAQ | 10/6/2004 6:12:20 AM GMTDT        
 
 
Why are you going with localized servers?

To provide the absolute best connectivity to our game servers, Blizzard has set up dedicated datacenters for World of Warcraft in multiple regions around the world. These local servers provide low-latency, high-speed access to ensure players have the best possible experience playing the game. In addition to providing local servers, Blizzard has established local teams, including game masters, community team members, and technical support staff, in each region in order to provide players with a high level of customer support in their native language. Because of these local teams, customers will be able to have their game-related concerns addressed promptly and efficiently by knowledgeable and helpful support representatives who understand local issues. All of these factors will contribute to providing players with the best possible gameplay experience when playing World of Warcraft on their regional servers.

Conversely, playing the game on servers in distant regions would significantly detract from the quality of the player’s connection and customer-support experiences. This level of service is inconsistent with Blizzard’s quality standards for World of Warcraft and could result in negative gameplay experiences for players of a subscription-based game service.

Nevertheless, we do recognize that players from different regions will want to play together. Unfortunately, because of the current realities regarding local billing requirements, privacy of information across international boundaries, and the aforementioned issues with connection quality between regions, we will be unable to offer cross-regional services at the time of the North America/Korea launch. However, for those players who still wish to play on servers outside of their region, we will look into providing a specific solution that addresses their concerns after launch.

Are you aware how much this issue affects game choice for guilds?

Yes; we've been working with guilds very closely since the beginning of the closed beta test because we appreciate how much they contribute to the game and to the community. One of our top priorities is to ensure that all players enjoy the complete game experience that World of Warcraft provides, and this is why we are strongly recommending that players connect to their local servers when World of Warcraft launches in their region. Regarding guilds specifically, connecting to servers in a non-local region would ultimately result in an adverse gameplay experience for the guild member connecting from overseas, and we feel that this would also negatively impact the members of the guild who are playing locally.


What is the situation for those located in Asia? Will they be able to play on the US servers?

While we have currently only announced our plans for launching World of Warcraft in Korea and China, we can confirm that like players in Europe, players in Korea and China will be able to play on local servers and enjoy native-language customer support at launch. For those who wish to play on servers outside of their region, we will look into providing a specific solution that addresses their concerns after launch.


What servers will the Middle East and Australia utilize at launch?

We're still examining options for the Middle East and Australia and will release more information for these regions as soon as possible.


Will you be restricting North America based on region, also?

As with Europe and Asia, North American players will be restricted to North American servers. Because there are two locations to service players in North America, we will recommend that players there connect to the North American server that is closest to their particular home region for the optimum online experience.

I travel overseas for work/school/military purposes. Will I have problems playing the game?

You should be able to travel and play the game from overseas provided you have an account in your home region. However, network connectivity at such distances is not under Blizzard’s control, and your play experience may vary as you travel, so we ask that you bear in mind that your connection and support experience will most likely not be optimal.

If you're stationed overseas for an extended period of time, we recommend that you subscribe to World of Warcraft in the region closest to you.


If I live in Europe or Asia and have preordered a US version of the game from an online retailer, will I be able to play the game when I receive it?

Players who do not use a method of payment accepted in North America and who do not have a North American billing address will not be able to play on US servers. Therefore, we highly recommend that players in other regions instead preorder the game for their local region and purchase their World of Warcraft subscription when the game launches locally to them. Doing so will ensure that they have the best possible World of Warcraft gameplay and support experience available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Caydiem -
Assistant Community Manager, WoW
 
You can find the thread here :

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=385040&p=1#post385040
AOFanboi
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Reply #12 on: October 08, 2004, 02:48:35 AM

I still want to know: What is it that Funcom, SquareEnix, SOE and all the other "play on any server from anywhere" developers know that Blizzard don't? What leet network skillz do they possess that have passed Blizzard by?

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Merusk
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Reply #13 on: October 08, 2004, 03:28:49 AM

Quote from: MrHat
All I know is this isn't the Blizz of old.


How long has VU owned Bliz?  This is definatly a push by the big guys, who'd like to see some sort of ROI after about a four black hole for money.  No, it's not Blizz of old, it's game-vs-business, and when you're owned by a corporation business will win every time.

Quote
I still want to know: What is it that Funcom, SquareEnix, SOE and all the other "play on any server from anywhere" developers know that Blizzard don't? What leet network skillz do they possess that have passed Blizzard by?


I think Faust had it right when he said it was probably to get VU:Europe some box sales on their slips.  If the localization stuff had started a few months ago, and US and European releases had been at the same time you probably wouldn't see this.

As it stands, they've already said if you wait until AFTER the Euro release, there will be some way of playing on the US servers.   You'll just be 5+ months behind everyone else.

The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
Kageru
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Reply #14 on: October 08, 2004, 03:49:36 AM

AFAIK the EU beta is running with the US english language version, and it was pretty late starting. There's been no sign of the localized french and german versions. So it seems a safe bet that Merusk is right, the whole thing is about protecting the EU market from customers  bleeding to the American market.

Of course there's not much sillier in the world than watching two arms of a corporation battling each other while the customers gets some really unlikely excuses for the chaos.

I suspect they're not announcing an Aus solution because they know that's going to inflame the english speaking EU population even more.

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Soukyan
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Reply #15 on: October 08, 2004, 05:41:55 AM

Quote from: Ardent
WoW is not complete and it is not perfect. But it is very polished.


They are stable, but I would question polished. I was getting a lot of <?text> tags and other miscellaneous detritus in the dialogs, quest system and NPC names during the stress test beta. This was from level 1 through 14 with several races. Have they fixed the majority of those? Because from a QA standpoint, that shit is simple to catch (have a tester start a character and go through every single quest to find them), but blatantly obvious to players. Now mind you, it may seem like a nitpick to those coming from EQ end-game and other various MMOGs where there are far worse things to contend with, but I'm a prick when it comes to spelling and stupid little shit like that. If I'm getting into a game and reading about a quest, believe it or not, some formatting tag showing up is a big immersion breaker for me and makes me think "slipshod work". And if that shows through, who knows what's broken in the code.

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schild
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Reply #16 on: October 08, 2004, 05:57:13 AM

The word 'polished' is associated with WoW solely because it runs very well. I'll even admit, I could run it on my old computer - which was a piece of ass. This makes the game 'look polished.' One of the first things people ask about MMOGs is "will it run on my system...and well?" The answer is yes. This != Polished. But many people believe it does.
Soukyan
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Reply #17 on: October 08, 2004, 06:01:20 AM

True. Many people severely misuse the word "lag" also. Ah well. What can you do?

"Life is no cabaret... we're inviting you anyway." ~Amanda Palmer
"Tree, awesome, numa numa, love triangle, internal combustion engine, mountain, walk, whiskey, peace, pascagoula" ~Lantyssa
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schild
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Reply #18 on: October 08, 2004, 06:06:42 AM

Quote from: Soukyan
True. Many people severely misuse the word "lag" also. Ah well. What can you do?


Ask for negative ping code...
Merusk
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Reply #19 on: October 08, 2004, 06:13:03 AM

Quote
We understand why you'd like to see the server names before release, and will do our best to provide them. I cannot promise anything, however. :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Caydiem -
Assistant Community Manager, WoW


Sometimes the jokes, they write themselves.

The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
UnSub
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Reply #20 on: October 08, 2004, 06:54:23 AM

Quote from: Register


What servers will the Middle East and Australia utilize at launch?

We're still examining options for the Middle East and Australia and will release more information for these regions as soon as possible.



This kind of thing just pisses me off as an Australian.

I mean, I'm irritated that I had to import CoH to play it, but at least they don't tell me that my money is no good. In fact, I pay more to play CoH due to conversion rates. But I'm willing to accept it.

However, when a company goes, "Hey, hold on region X, we'll get to you later on", it just tells me they don't care.  I've seen too many examples of games released much, much later, after the interest has passed (or mine has, anyway). Actually, being denied entry actually decreases my interest, since I'll go and look hard at a game to see if I really want to play it, rather than impulse purchase.

Look, I know that Australia isn't a huge country, but we have a pretty good game playing track record. Plus I've got a credit card, which is all Blizzard should really need to know.  It's not like Australia switched our currency to gum leaves or something like that.

But it's nice to know that we are categorised with the Middle East. After all, Australia sits between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, right?

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Reply #21 on: October 08, 2004, 07:55:53 AM

Quote from: ahoythematey
... and at least one tester I've talked to, who I know personally and played much AC with, says he'd pay for the game in the state it currently is in.


I said the same thing about Shadowbane in the last two months of beta.

All I can say is this looks like it'll be the only way I'll play WoW.

Paelos
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Error 404: Title not found.


Reply #22 on: October 08, 2004, 08:06:19 AM

For those in the Beta, how many months would you be comfortable with before this game is released? 3 or 4 more? Or are we talking a summer next year sort of thing?

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Big Gulp
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Reply #23 on: October 08, 2004, 08:07:00 AM

Quote from: UnSub

Look, I know that Australia isn't a huge country, but we have a pretty good game playing track record.


You're a population of 20 million and unlike say, France or Germany, you require no changes to the game's language.  Lag isn't such a huge issue that we need to throw UK and Aussie gamers into their own little localized worlds, I personally think it's silly not to have you play on the North American servers.

Especially considering that these publishers are almost all multinational corporations, they should be able to work around regional sales issues without too much difficulty.  This kind of ghettoization based on nothing but geography is fairly dumb.
Mesozoic
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Reply #24 on: October 08, 2004, 08:28:35 AM

Quote from: Paelos
For those in the Beta, how many months would you be comfortable with before this game is released? 3 or 4 more? Or are we talking a summer next year sort of thing?


I think we're talking about people who have become elitist pricks based on their random acceptance into a closed beta, and who like not having to pay money.  That shit goes on forever.

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Ardent
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Reply #25 on: October 08, 2004, 08:33:52 AM

Quote from: Paelos
For those in the Beta, how many months would you be comfortable with before this game is released? 3 or 4 more? Or are we talking a summer next year sort of thing?


I would buy it on November 15th. The game from low- to mid-levels is ready: it's smooth, fun, and I enjoy it.

But that takes into consideration two factors:

1) I am a jaded veteran of many bad launches, so I expect it. That's probably a wrong attitude to take, but there it is. I know that no game in this genre is released when it's "ready", and there is usually a 3 to 6 month (in some cases, over a year) ramp-up period where the details are hammered out, "balance" is endlessly adjusted, and high-end content such as Jedi ... er, I mean, hero classes ... are finally integrated.

2) I did not play a single character to max level, instead I played all the classes to level 20-30. So I cannot testify to the readiness of the high-level PvE content. Also, I played on the Beta server, so I also cannot attest to high end PvP balance. I will say, though, that the forums talk a lot about high-level instance farming, which doesn't sound good to me, but also sounds like a larger problem that they will not be able to fix before the end of the year. I don't think the corporate whip-masters are willing to wait that long.

Um, never mind.
El Gallo
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Reply #26 on: October 08, 2004, 08:51:50 AM

I think that they can have everything in the low-to-mid game clean and ready to go by mid november.  That stuff is pretty much done and just needs one QA run.  If you want to powergame, though, I'd be worried about sparse endgame content.

As for "this isn't the Blizzard of old" I say no, because this is better.  Diablo 2 was simply unplayable the week it launched, and it is obvious from the laughable class and tree balance (hi, bows don't even work, but corpse explosion and WW work way way way too well) as well as some of the quests that the game (i.e. the NPCs that lead nowhere, and the actions that suddenly finish 3 quests that you didn't even know you had) was rushed the hell out the door long before it was ready.

This post makes me want to squeeze into my badass red jeans.
Shannow
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Reply #27 on: October 08, 2004, 08:56:37 AM

Truely, are Blizzard the only MMOLG dev to FORCE players to only play a server in their own region?

I'm stuck deciding whether this is because they are lazy, incomptent, greedy or all three.

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Rasix
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Reply #28 on: October 08, 2004, 09:02:54 AM

Quote from: Paelos
For those in the Beta, how many months would you be comfortable with before this game is released? 3 or 4 more? Or are we talking a summer next year sort of thing?


I'll buy at release but only because I'm not planning on playing a warlock or hunter (well, I kinda was, but I don't really like either class enough to play them in final after testing them).  Those are two classes that don't have their talents complete or even in.  Realistically, I'd say this game is a good 3-6 months before being 100% releaseable (complete is an illusion with this games..).  Hell, their full PVP implementation isn't even in, but it'll probably take me a long time before I'm ready for that anyhow.

Quote

They are stable, but I would question polished. I was getting a lot of <?text> tags and other miscellaneous detritus in the dialogs, quest system and NPC names during the stress test beta.


I've yet to come across this playing recently. They've seemed to put a lot of effort into the quests since then.  Of course, I've been playing mostly horde, so if was a specific alliance issue, there's no way to me to verify for you.

That server thing is a bummer.  I really wanted to avoid getting on the same server as Fire of Heaven, Legacy of Steel, and my friends wanted to avoid playing with the lame guilds they know from DAoC.  [/quote]

-Rasix
Rasix
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Reply #29 on: October 08, 2004, 09:07:05 AM

Quote from: Shannow
Truely, are Blizzard the only MMOLG dev to FORCE players to only play a server in their own region?

I'm stuck deciding whether this is because they are lazy, incomptent, greedy or all three.


I like this.  Now, I'm going to come off as a xenophobe here, but after playing on an unofficial Malaysian server for Everquest and attempting to play on battle.net with Koreans, I welcome them being confined to their own little worlds far away from mine.

-Rasix
Trippy
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Reply #30 on: October 08, 2004, 09:16:04 AM

Quote from: Soukyan
Now mind you, it may seem like a nitpick to those coming from EQ end-game and other various MMOGs where there are far worse things to contend with, but I'm a prick when it comes to spelling and stupid little shit like that.

Then that "a Orc" in EQ must have really pissed you off.
Soukyan
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Reply #31 on: October 08, 2004, 09:34:51 AM

Quote from: Trippy
Quote from: Soukyan
Now mind you, it may seem like a nitpick to those coming from EQ end-game and other various MMOGs where there are far worse things to contend with, but I'm a prick when it comes to spelling and stupid little shit like that.

Then that "a Orc" in EQ must have really pissed you off.


Very much so. And I always quickly panned and left MUDs that couldn't bother to correct simple, automated capitalization and text output issues. Of course, on a text MUD, it's pretty damn important to ensure that your text is well-formatted, etc. With a graphical game, such as WoW, it's not as big an issue to players, BUT unless the game can graphically present all the information you need, then text issues are still important. At least to me...

"Life is no cabaret... we're inviting you anyway." ~Amanda Palmer
"Tree, awesome, numa numa, love triangle, internal combustion engine, mountain, walk, whiskey, peace, pascagoula" ~Lantyssa
"Les vrais paradis sont les paradis qu'on a perdus." ~Marcel Proust
ahoythematey
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Reply #32 on: October 08, 2004, 09:59:37 AM

El Gallo, please don't use the words "rushed" and "Diablo 2" in the same sentence.  I simply cannot stop laughing at the thought.

Quote from: HaemishM
I said the same thing about Shadowbane in the last two months of beta.

All I can say is this looks like it'll be the only way I'll play WoW.


Well, try and remember my part after that about how it is "not saying much, since we're both Blizzard whores..."  I was throwing in my own two cents more than trying to argue that it's ready for release based on the shakiest of data.
schild
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Reply #33 on: October 08, 2004, 10:01:54 AM

Quote from: El Gallo
As for "this isn't the Blizzard of old" I say no, because this is better.  Diablo 2 was simply unplayable the week it launched, and it is obvious from the laughable class and tree balance (hi, bows don't even work, but corpse explosion and WW work way way way too well) as well as some of the quests that the game (i.e. the NPCs that lead nowhere, and the actions that suddenly finish 3 quests that you didn't even know you had) was rushed the hell out the door long before it was ready.


Blizzard North != Blizzard. And yea, Diablo 2 was Not Rushed. It was delayed umpteenthousand times. Blizzard North = Arena.net.

I beat the game with corpse explosion in like 3 days. It was a great $50 spent. Thank god I'm a phat lewt whore.
ahoythematey
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Reply #34 on: October 08, 2004, 10:08:11 AM

Heh, I played D2 regularly for over three years, until I finally realized they were utilising the biggest carrot-on-a-stick ever, in the form of patch 1.10.  Still, good times.  It makes me afraid of Guild Wars for so many reasons, including the fact that the basic GW "realms" will probably end up as a sponge for all the ex-D2 dipshits that whine about monthly fees like this was 1999.
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